US Lawmakers Praise Turkey İn Fight Against Daesh

WASHINGTON (AA) – The four co-chairs of the congressional caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans issued a letter Wednesday to their colleagues in Congress seeking to recognize Turkey's role in the fight against Daesh.

Undersigned by representatives Steve Cohen, Gerry Connolly, Virginia Foxx and Ed Whitfield, the letter was sent to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The letter comes amid debates that Turkey should do more in the fight against Daesh

"Turkey has proved itself as a valued security partner," the letter said, recalling that Turkey is a co-chair of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group within the anti-Daesh coalition, besides training more than 1,500 Kurdish peshmerga fighters and providing military equipment to the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government.

The letter also said the U.S. and Turkey signed an agreement to train and equip Syrian opposition.

The agreement assumes an equal number of American and Turkish trainers will participate in the program.

Critics have lashed out at Turkey for not cracking down on foreign fighters crossing the country into Syria.

During a recent visit to Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said his country has done a lot to reduce the flow of foreign fighters but with an 800-mile (1,500-kilometer) border with Iraq and Syria, it is difficult for Turkey to overcome the problem alone.

Cavusoglu said Turkey has blocked entry of more than 7,000 individuals while it has deported more than 1,200 individuals who tried to cross the border to join Daesh.

In the letter, the lawmakers also touched on the border security issue and said Turkey has fenced up nearly 300 miles of its border while illuminating 165 miles and has placed additional staff along the border.

"The effects can be seen in the numbers of individuals caught trying to cross the border illegally – from 54,000 people in 2013 to 71,000 in 2014," the letter read.

The lawmakers also called Turkey "a humanitarian leader" in Syrian and Iraqi conflicts because it has spent more than $5 billion on more than 2 million refugees who have fled Iraq and Syria.

Recalling that Turkey faces direct threats from Daesh militants, the lawmakers added that "presently, there are concerns that ISIL militants could be planning attacks within Turkey, with a possible focus on foreign embassies."

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